Wengen, Switzerland, July 22, 2012 

Wengen to Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg to Alpiglen to Brandegg to Holenstein to Mannlichen to Wengen

Day 3, another hiking day!

Clouds below Mannlichen really do look like down comforters.

We have a plan--walk to Kleine Scheidegg and then decide where-to from there.

Wildflowers are everywhere along the trail.  Clouds still fill in the lower elevations so there's no majestic mountain view.  But it's not raining today.

Intermittent obscurity.  It's cool; really the perfect walking weather.  But I wish we could see the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau, and the meadows aka ski slopes.

                                  How big is the sky when the clouds lift?

At Kleine Scheidegg, the map shows climbing routes up the treacherous north face of the Eiger.  We reconfirm that we're not doing any mountain climbing.





While we take a short break, we decide on where we're walking from here.

Alpiglen beckons.  It's less than 2 hours away.

Alpiglen's train station is our stop for lunch, a drink, and WC.

Decisions decisions.  We're not ready to end our walking day.  The sun is out, and no blisters yet.

We hop the train here, and ride one stop to Brandegg. 

There we bypass the sun-filled outdoor eating area at the restaurant, and take to the trail that will take us over to Holenstein.  There's a mid-way station there where we can catch the gondola coming from Grindelwald, and arrive back up at Mannlichen.

It's mostly downhill to Holenstein, right?









 And look at that sunny sky!

Relentless uphills suggest peeling off a layer or two.



















The views are worth the sweat.

                                                             Grindelwald in the valley.

 A couple of hours later, back up at Mannlichen, the valley clouds bump up against the mountain and outline the ridges.

 We ride the tram down to Wengen, and a rest for our feet.  Ah--one tiny blister on my left middle toe.

July 21, Wilderswil and Lauterbrunnen

Day Two--Lots of train travel, rain, and walking

Breakfast bread--and so much more, buffet style.  We all love the breakfast choices at Hotel Baren.

Heading through Wengen for the tram to take us up to Mannlichen, we purchase a 6-day pass at the tourist office for access to the local mountains' various transportation--trains, trams, buses.  The pass cost is discounted when we show our Swiss Rail pass.




Foggy.  We wonder what views we'll be able to see up top.

We've packed our rain gear.











Turns out--clouds rule the day.  So we ride the gondola down to Grindelwald.  Catch the bus to the train station.  And hop the train that winds through the valley and down into Wilderswil.

 In Wilderswil, there's an old train engine operating today, a steam locomotive--this is special!  It's due back from its run up to Schynige Platte in a half hour, so we walk around the historic section of Wilderswil--toward those trees on the other side of the train tracks--while we wait.
The steam engine is also running Aug. 4 and 11, 2012. www.jungfrau.ch/



The usual train to Schynige Platte operates, too--it's in the photo.

 

The steam engine is due in soon.  We wait at the crossing for the train heading to Interlaken to pass by, then we cross the tracks back into the Wilderswil station.









And there's the little steam engine!

The steam engine is also running Aug. 4 and 11, 2012. www.jungfrau.ch/

Then it's on to Lauterbrunnen

In intermittent rain, we walk up the valley to Trummelbach Falls.  It's the runoff from the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau glaciers.  These aren't your typical falls--this water twists and rips through mountain-enclosed caverns that it's carved over the centuries.  Lighted walkways take you right to the edge of the falls at various points as it descends through the mountain.  Jim and I have been here, so we wait while our friends tour through (fee 11 Fr.)



This view is from our previous trip:

That's Wengen up on the mountain in the distance.

We walk back to Lauterbrunnen, and run the last 50 yards to make it onto the train going up the mountain to Wengen. 















I'm so happy that it's almost time for our four-course dinner at the hotel.  Half-board is a good decision.